By Martha Drew and Katie Doyle Myers | Director of Programs and Board of Directors
Congratulations, you supported the creation of a Supernova...a new Community Savings Group in Mulegé! With the support of Philanthropiece A.C.'s GlobalGiving campaign, the "Supernova" Community Savings Group (CSG) was formed in the rural mountain community of Santa Martha in Baja California Sur, Mexico. Now 25 community members are working together to set financial goals, create a savings safety net for their families, improve their homes, and develop their community. The members named their group in honor of an ancient cave painting located near their community that looks like a Supernova, and is part of one of the most outstanding rock painting collections in the world, located in the Sierra de San Francisco, Mulegé municipality.
Members of the Supernova savings group meet weekly at the community medical clinic and contribute between $50 and $250 Mexican pesos to their accounts ($2.00-$12.00USD). They also make a contribution to the group's Social Fund that, by a collective decision at the end of the savings cycle, will serve the community as a whole, or a neighbor in need. Rural communities like Santa Martha face the double challenge of the pandemic that has affected their small tourist operation of visits to cave paintings, and a drought that has lasted several years, which has decreased their livestock production. The CSG is a step to secure and support their families, while preserving their cattle ranching lifestyle. And they have already had a significant generational impact: eight children and teenagers from Santa Martha have formed "Supernova Jr."; they are saving and learning together alongside their parents and grandparents.
In just the past 2 months, since launching our GlobalGiving campaign, your contributions have also supported more than 100 people in other vulnerable communities, such as Santa Martha, to mobilize their savings groups together with trainers from Philanthropiece A.C. In total, we are working with over 1000 community members throughout Mexico to create a culture of savings that generates more united and resilient communities. Thank you for believing in this work and supporting us as we work, piece by piece, to create a better world!
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